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TROLLEY OUTSHINES ‘DIAMOND’ IN SPARKLING BIG M WIN

Friday, January 11, 2019

Apparently, Trolley did not get the memo.You know the one. The one where Muscle Diamond goes off as the 1-5 favorite in Friday night’s featured $21,000 Preferred Handicap for trotters at the Meadowlands and wins his sixth in a row for fun.No, Trolley was clearly not on board with that.In what is developing into a great rivalry, Trolley and driver Marcus Miller powered their way past Muscle Diamond in deep stretch to win for the fourth time in five starts, using a little racing luck along the way.For the first three-quarters, it was the longest shot on the board, 43-1 chance Two AM, cutting the fractions. Muscle Diamond vacated the four-hole at the half and gradually made up ground on the leader as Trolley sat inside, racing in the three-hole as the flow developed, putting himself in a tough spot with no place to race.But at the top of the stretch, Miller found his way off the rail as Muscle Diamond was starting to create separation between himself and the rest of the field. In deep stretch, the relentless Trolley found a seam between horses and charged at the leader, and with a late burst got past the odds-on choice by three-quarters-of-a-length in 1:54. Dover Downs invader Fraser Ridge rallied well for third.As the 5-1 second choice in the betting, Trolley returned $12.00 to his backers for trainer Erv Miller and owners Michael Anderson, Leland Mathias, Greg Gillis and Louis Willinger. Lifetime, the 6-year-old son of Donato Hanover-Lakeside Bride has won 12-of-26 starts and banked $302,959.A LITTLE MORE: Wagering on the 50-Cent Pick-4 exceeded the $90,000 plateau for a fifth straight program, as $93,295 was pushed through the windows. … Driver Shane Taggart recorded his first career win at the Meadowlands, guiding Nows The Moment to a 1:54 score in the sixth race conditioned trot. … Dexter Dunn drove three winners on the card while Corey Callahan, Andy Miller and Pat Berry all had two apiece. … All-source wagering on the 14-race program was $2,504,720. … Racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m. Special guest announcer Larry Lederman will call the races.